leather cleaner recommendations

MRPMRP · Jun 15, 2026

23669d said:
I give up NEATS Foot oil.

I can't bring myself to use it. Something about all the poor, innocent Neats left footless, all in the name of leather care.

BTW, for those of you experimenting with leather care products for various purposes, Obenauf's products are quite impressive. Developed by forest firefighter to protect his boots during extended stints in the wilderness. One note though-- it will darken leather semi-permanently due to the enriching components in the solution, so keep that in mind. But if you have new-newish hunting boots you want to both protect and waterproof, I can't imagine a better product.

Like I said in an earlier post, it's like car wax or motor oil-- everyone has their preferences and few people can make legitimate claims that a particular product doesn't work.

H Richard · Jun 20, 2026

I have seen several articles over the years that Neats oil will rot stitching. It also softens the leather and you don't want that for a holster. I recommend Black Rock as a leather cleaner preservative.

Cheno · Jun 23, 2026

I just clean with a slightly damp towel to get off dirt. Dry them, then rub a little Ray Holes Saddle Butter on them to help the conditioning and weatherproofing.....Wipe off any excess with a paper towel. I do this to holsters I get on E-Bay, then do the whole "baseball glove" thing, by putting the firearm in a plastic baggie, putting it into the holster, wiggling it a few times, then putting all that into a plastic bag, putting everything under your mattress, and sleeping on it for a few days, taking it out to wiggle the firearm in the holster when I wake up. Makes drawing the firearm that much easier.

chief38 · Jun 29, 2026

The only thing I ever use on leather carry gear is Lincoln or Kiwi shoe polish. You NEVER want to soften up a holster by using saddle soap, oils or cleaners. I use the shoe polish once a year and my stuff looks like new again. Just make sure you use a new micro fiber cloth to buff all the shoe polish that will come off, off.

Mule Packer · Jun 30, 2026

H Richard said:
I have seen several articles over the years that Neats oil will rot stitching. It also softens the leather and you don't want that for a holster. I recommend Black Rock as a leather cleaner preservative.

Actually it's Neatsfoot Compound that rots stitching, not pure Neatsfoot Oil. Also, it's the cotton thread that it rots, not the now more commonly used nylon thread.

For restoring old leather or cleaning up leather, I use Farnum's Leather New. It's a glycerin-based saddle soap. I use it on my saddles, saddle bags, chaps, bridles, etc. Great stuff. I don't use it on holsters, however, because it will soften them. For holsters, as was mentioned previously, I use a natural-colored shoe polish.

twintower25 · Jul 1, 2026

Unlike shoes, you do not want to use a softener on your leather holsters.

At most you can take a damp rag to it and then let the holster air dry indoors.

You can then add a natural beeswax based product to the exterior that will help protect the leather from sweat or any other liquids.

leather cleaner recommendations

MRPMRP

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H Richard

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Cheno

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chief38

Mule Packer

twintower25

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